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This Lanesborough home offers lakeside living.

Friday Front Porch Feature: Lakefront Living on Pontoosuc

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
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LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Are you looking for a home with lakefront views? Then this is the home for you.

Our Friday Front Porch is a weekly feature spotlighting attractive homes for sale in Berkshire County. This week, we are showcasing 15 Sunrise St.

This four-bedroom, two-bath home was built in 1918 and is 1,890 square feet on less than an acre. The home also includes a private dock on Pontoosuc Lake.

It has an open kitchen, dining, and living room that offer scenic views. A second living room has a brick fireplace. Step outside on your back deck and enjoy a cozy fireplace and an inviting hot tub. The home comes with major appliances and hardwood floors.

The house is on the market for $799,900.

We spoke to Cameron Volastro with William Pitt Sotheby's International Realty.

What do you think makes this property stand out in the current market?

The amount of lifestyle you get for the dollar. This is an easy-to-own property that gives you access to everything Pontoosuc Lake offers. For the avid boater or paddler, it's kind of a dream setup. You get peaceful waterfront living without feeling overly remote from the rest of the Berkshires.

Do you know any unique stories or history of the home?

Unfortunately, I don't know any specific history of the home itself, but Pontoosuc Lake has long been one of the Berkshires' favorite destinations for boating, paddling, and summer lake living, and this property really embraces that lifestyle.

What kind of buyer do you see this home being perfect for?

Someone looking for a low-maintenance property with a ton of lifestyle appeal who genuinely loves being out on the lake. I could also see it being perfect as a Berkshire escape for someone coming from Boston or New York who wants waterfront living without the upkeep of a much larger estate property.

What would you say to a buyer trying to imagine their life in this space?

Cool nights in the hot tub, beautiful sunrises over the water, charcuterie boards with friends out on the pontoon boat, and the whole family coming to visit for long summer days on the lake. It's the kind of property that naturally brings people together.

What was your first impression when you walked into the home?

My first thought was how well the home flowed. The floor plan is just the right amount of open where the spaces feel connected, but still comfortable and livable.

Are there any recent renovations or standout design features?

Yes. The owned solar installed in 2022 paired with the newer roof is a huge plus for someone who values energy efficiency and lower operating costs. The home was also tastefully updated in 2007, and those updates have been very well cared for. The aesthetic still feels clean, comfortable, and relevant today.

How would you describe the feel or atmosphere of this home?

Relaxing. The whole home is oriented toward peaceful water views, so you feel fully immersed in lake living almost everywhere you go in the house. There's a calmness to it that's hard to replicate.

You can find out more about this house on its listing here. 

*Front Porch Feature brings you an exclusive to some of the houses listed on our real estate page every week. Here we take a bit of a deeper dive into a certain house for sale and ask questions so you don't have to.





Tags: front porch,   Real Estate,   

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Lanesborough Looks to Dissolve Baker Hill Road District

By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff

LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — The Select Board is looking to move forward with dissolving the Baker Hill Road District, which is hindering the Berkshire Mall sale.

On Friday, the Select Board heard from Vice Chair Juli Baker and Chair Deborah Maynard on how Tuesday negotiations went with Cypress Equities, JMJ Holdings, town counsel, the town administrator, and state Rep. John Barrett III. 

Baker said that during Tuesday's meeting, everyone agreed the goal was to have a successful sale of the mall for redevelopment as it’s in the best interest of the town.

Baker said Barrett assured them the state is willing to take the Connector Road and that the state is willing to provide grants to the town to renovate the water and sewer infrastructure, with an estimated total of $4.5 million, to facilitate the property's redevelopment.

"We have received assurances from Representative Barrett that the Commonwealth will provide the monies and will take the Connector," Baker said.

While buyer Cypress Equities saw some benefit in keeping the district, it now doesn't since the state is willing to provide the funds and renovate the infrastructure, according to Baker. 

Baker said that in the meeting, Cypress Equities prefers to enter into a tax increment financing (TIF) and will add to the agreement an amount of funding for public safety services, which would have come from the district. She said Cypress said it would rather enter into one agreement with the town than two agreements with the town and the district.

Mall owner JMJ Holdings is willing to pay $350,000 to the town upon closing, Baker said. 

The meeting Friday was to consider moving forward with a dissolution of the district.

"But the decision that it hinges on tonight is whether to move forward to the dissolution of the Baker Hill Road District in some manner," she said.

Baker said she has worked long and hard to see if there was another alternative to this, working closely with the district which has been "very cooperative and very helpful" in making changes.

The district had agreed to make changes to its governance and taxation; agreeing to have a cap for Cypress as well as agreeing to work to have the state take over the road, sending letters of support.

"What changed this for me is that I've always said it's important to have the special district because we get the public safety funding, and it's also important for the economic district to bring the features that an economic district brings because of what we're up against with the infrastructure problems, and the change at this point is that we have a buyer who is willing to supply that public safety money and commit to it over time, along with the TIF that the town would do, which is essential," she said.

"At this point, I feel like it's in the best interest of the town and protects the town the best in terms of a future where we can develop a mall and bring that economic benefit in. You definitely need to reduce taxes, and you cannot do that without a fully developed retail operation right there. So it's been, you know, deeply difficult decision making," Baker said.

Board members Jason Breault and Jeffery Walters agreed it was the best decision to move forward.

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